Medical devices

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) can directly translate human intentions into discrete commands, bypassing the motor system. Most non-invasive BCI systems currently in use are based on electroencephalography (EEG) recording technology. While traditional EEG-based BCIs achieve high information transfer rates, these systems have two major limitations. First, they cannot be used in daily life as they do not tolerate natural movements. Second, the equipment, a cap or headband and electrodes, would be inadequate for social settings.

Most of the available toothpastes are designed to manage tooth decay. Older individuals, however, suffer from gum diseases that caused by accumulation of plaque and tartar on teeth or implants.
The most common way of cleaning the teeth is with a brush and toothpaste. However, even though major companies offer a wide range of products to manage gum disease, they all have limitations when it comes to removal of tartar and cleaning dental implants.

The objective of this project is to work with an industrial partner (Eclectic Industries Inc.) to design an activity tracker for institutionalized individuals with dementia. In our previous work with Eclectic Industries Inc., we refined and evaluated Ambient Activity Technology (AAT). AAT is a wall-mounted interactive tool (accessible anytime) designed for people with dementia to encourage physical, cognitive and social engagement. The displayed content is meaningful and personalized to the resident (e.g., favourite music, family photos).

The healthcare industry is shifting from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) care to real world data (RWD) to understand how well an intervention performs in clinical practice. The best source of RWD is source data â that is, data that are collected at the interface of the patient and the health care system.

Technetium-99m (99mTc) is a radioactive substance that is used in nuclear medicine departments worldwide. This substance when made in an appropriate formulation is injected in patients and following its decay pictures of the patient can be obtained. This pictures help physicians diagnose certain diseases notably cancers and heart diseases. The government of Canada historically was the main producer of this radioactive substance. Due to the aging of the machines that are used to produce these substance the government announced that in 2019 it will no longer be producing Tc-99m.

It is estimated that the average person spends up to 50% of their waking hours thinking about things other than what they are presently doing (i.e., mind wandering). This internal form of distraction along with its external counterpart (i.e., external distraction) are associated with performance deficits during everyday activities, such as reading or driving. Moreover, individuals are often unaware that their mind has wandered, which can lead to absentminded errors. Depending on the context, the consequences of distraction can range from reduced productivity to injury or even death.

This project aims to determine prevalence rates of Echinococcus species tapeworms in domestic dogs and to compare these rates to those obtained from wild canids including wolves, coyotes, and foxes. This will shed light on infection rates and risk factors for both the human population and their pet dogs. This research will benefit Bayer as they produce many pharmaceuticals that combat Echinococcus infection and believe an increased public awareness of this parasite is important for public health.

Cancer will affect 2 in every 5 Canadians in their lifetime, with just over 25% representing new breast cancer diagnoses in women. Despite significant progress in the treatment of the most common cancer in women, resistance to chemotherapeutic agents remains a consistent obstacle in terms of the successful treatment of many types of breast cancers. The Mitacs-funded collaboration between NuvoBio and the Biggar lab at Carleton University is seeking to address this issue by systematically designing and developing peptide-based inhibitors that hold the promise as new therapeutics.

Objective and reliable assessment of balance and postural sway has the ability to drastically improve the screening process for risk of falls among elderly populations. Standard assessment protocols and questionnaires are in place, however these do not provide objective, reliable fall prediction. Standard concussion assessment protocols determine the presence and severity of a concussion, as well as the athlete’s return to play fitness by measuring balance and postural sway.

There is a great need and benefit to integrate artificial intelligence, robotic simulation, and robotics technology into Canadaâs medical industry, hospital environment, and healthcare system. Robotic simulation technology, which has been successfully used for space rover missions such as NASA's Curiosity rover and the Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner mission, provides the ability to create and test different types of robots with different hardware configurations, and develop their associated artificial intelligence systems.